Diana (2013) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Watch Now From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video During the last two years of her life, Princess Diana embarks on a final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. Director: Stephen Jeffreys , Kate Snell (inspired by the book 'Diana Her Last Love' by) Stars: a list of 39 titles created 25 Nov 2011 a list of 32 titles created 05 Apr 2014 a list of 22 titles created 21 Jan 2015 a list of 33 titles created 28 Nov 2015 a list of 25 images created 2 weeks ago Search for " Diana " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin.

Edit Storyline During the last two years of her life, Princess Diana embarks on a final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. The legend is never the whole story See more » Genres: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sensuality and smoking | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 20 September 2013 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Caught in Flight See more » Filming Locations: $67,754 (USA) (1 November 2013) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia Naomi Watts wore some of Diana's actual clothing and also donned a a prosthetic nose, according to Vanity Fair. See more » Goofs When Diana is alone playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", the notes she is playing do not match the pitches we are hearing, and one of the bars contains 5 beats, not the usual 4. See more » Quotes [first lines] Reporter: It is not the horror of landmines that is making the headlines back home, but reports of the Princess's romance with Dodi Fayed.

Speculation fueled by the arrival last night of a car similar to that owned by the Princess. (Finland) – See all my reviews I went to see this movie almost without any expectations. Granted, in my mind, Naomi Watts's performance in "Mulholland Dr." was exceptional, but that was over ten years ago, so I made a deliberate effort not to compare the roles. I had not seen any reviews and did not know anything about the movie, except its title character. I knew the main outlines of Diana's life and had seen some of her interviews, although I was more familiar with her death. Thus I had no opinion of Diana herself, except that I had heard a little of her famous charity work. With these things in mind I went to the theater. To me the movie was excellent. The atmosphere was enchanting and at times haunting. Watts played Diana like a shape shifter, matching her every move when the character presented herself to the media, while breaking her facade in private. She portrayed tons of difficult emotion that had to convey an aristocratic filter created by the character's upbringing.

Diana's life was presented as a complex mixture of personal and public, feelings and constraints, that lead to her being slowly crushed by the outside pressures she could not control. The movie's purpose was obviously apolitical and tried to convey Diana's driving force that was interpreted in the movie as love. It succeeded in this very convincingly. The credit for this goes not only to Watts, but also the director Oliver Hirschbiegel (who, I now notice, directed "Der Untergang", an exceptional film in its own right) and Naveen Andrews, who played his role with credibility and originality. Altogether I found the movie to be on-par with the best biographical dramatizations in film, even coming close to "King's Speech". Now that I had seen the film, and had been thoroughly impressed by it, imagine my surprise when I tuned in on IMDb. At this moment the score was 4.9. I immediately noticed a pattern. Of all the 2900 voters 446 (15.4 %) had voted 1. In fact the value 1 dominated the chart, being the most frequent vote of all the values. I interpreted this is a symptom of pure ignorance.

Obviously the movie is not the worst of all time, like for example "The Room", "Manos: The Hands of Fate" or "Plan 9 from Outer Space". There in fact seems to be an almost organized effort to trash the movie. I do not think this has much to do with the film itself, but is a continuation of the politicization of Diana's life. I would recommend, when reading reviews, to recognize the critics who judge the film based on their own preconceived notions and those who judge the film on its own merits. My score for "Diana" is between 8 and 9, which rounds it up to 9. 49 of 65 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Audience Reviews for Diana ½ Naomi Watts does a good job as Diana, even in the way she walks and looks, but there is not much that she can do to save a soapy script (full of horribly corny lines) that has no real insight into her character and only shows her as immature, caricatural and not very bright. Carlos Magalhães Super Reviewer The only thing more incredible than the life she led was the secret she kept. Very well made Film!

The Film does not portray Diana in a bad way at all. If anything, it reiterates the absolute disgusting habits our press have had in terms of absolute disregard and disrespect for people's privacy. You feel a certain connection with Diana throughout the film, and see her for the "normal person" she was deep down. Naomi Watts' performance was spectacular, and she certainly did Diana justice. Although the film is most certainly disliked by many - i.e: the media, Islamophobes and daily mail readers... It is disliked for the mere fact that the film provides an insight into things that make certain people very uncomfortable, such as the prospect of the Princess of Wales marrying to a Pakistani Muslim, and the fact that Diana was actually a human being, with feelings, and with a difficult life. During the last two years of her life, Princess Diana embarks on a final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. Manu Gino Super Reviewer Mediocre drama based on the last two years of Diana Princess of Wales life. The film boasts some very good performances, unfortunately, I felt that the story was underwhelming and it didn't go in depth with her last years.

The tone of the film feels preachy and tries to be something great, but the result is a film that is heavily flawed, and never reaches its potential. The subject is good, but the execution is poor. I think it's a shame because Naomi Watts was perfect for the role. However the film's script leaves a lot to be desired. Is the film as bad as everyone says? No, but it still leaves room for improvement. The aspect about the film is that it really could have been an outstanding drama, considering its subject. The film's script suffers due to a lack of underwhelming ideas, and in the end, the film just doesn't deliver. I really wanted to enjoy this film, but there's nothing of note here. Watts is a perfect choice as Diana, and if the film's script would have been better fleshed out, then maybe this would have been a much better film than what it turned out to be. Don't expect anything great with this film, as it leaves you wanting more out of the film. Considering its story, I think there could have been a much better take on Diana last few years. Unfortunately this film is mediocre at best, and is not really worth seeing if you want a vivid drama to watch.

I think it's a shame because Naomi Watts really did give a good performance, unfortunately the lacking material that she has to work with just doesn't offer anything to save this film from being a letdown. Given a few rewrites, I think that this film really could have been something memorable. Instead it wastes a good cast on a poorly thought out storyline that just seems to overdo most of the time. With that being said, the definitive biopic of Diana, Princess of Wales has yet to be made. Alex roy Super Reviewer "After an unexpected hiatus (holiday season, good friend moving to LA) it was about time I got back into writing reviews. An idea one of my friends also had as she (for some reason) checks my profile for my thoughts on films. Noticing I didn't post anything for two weeks she decided to shoot me with her ray gun, take me to her spaceship, insert a bomb into my genitals, and set a timer for three hours. Telling me the only way to survive is to watch "Diana" and write a review in my limited time. Thus I did it and barely made it out alive. However, she refused to remove the bomb!". Excerpt from the biography "Based on a true story".

Diana follows the last two years of Princess Diana life secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan turning a life story into a very crummy romance film. Calling this film a biopic is the equivalent of saying the film "2012" is base on a true story. Problem number one with this film making the person of interest boring. As someone who knows nothing about the Princess of Wales this film shares no insight about her nor the people around her. Its reluctant to share anything even the most basic of understanding of who Diana is a person becomes lost to its audience. Now because of the structure of the film manipulative narrative Diana comes across as a one dimensional Gollum. Now going by written dialogue in the film Diana "Gets very excited by Hospitals", "I'm a princess and I get what I want", and wonders if "Did they publish the pictures of the kids with all their arms and legs blown off". That's some awful dialogue yes, but the rest of the writing is equally appalling. Not to forget exploitative beginning the film starting on the night of her death hammering the message that there is no return. Earlier I said this is more of a crummy romance and I stand by that.

For example, the film paints Diana was so swept off her feet that she ignored her children and her work. Doing charity work for the sake of good lips service. In any other fictional film if you have bad characters, underdeveloped elements, and sloppy narrative you simply get a bad piece of fiction. Not here as even if the events in the film did happen it feels false. In a movie that has the Dwayne Johnson Quartet (sadly Dwayne Johnson is nowhere in the film) you end up quitting finding any shred of truth that the film might share. Even its main focus on the romance is terribly written. Important events are glossed over, the romance is egotistical (ones a whiner and ones comes across as too clingy), and at no point allows us to see Diana the way the filmmaker intended us to see her. There's a line in the film that goes "You don't perform the operation, the operation performs you. And when it's over, reality is a bit flat. You're very tire.". That statement holds true to the film itself. You don't experience the film, the film attempts destroy you and your perception of Diana in reality.

Hoping in the end you're too tired to search for the truth and accepts the false reality the film gives you. Naomi Watts has little material to work from, the result being overuse of only a few mannerisms and speech characteristics. She delivers some awful, awful lines with a straight face. If anything the acting is best the thing about the film. All the performances are average, but at no point do they attempt to ham it up or go over the top with their performances. As for everything else it's unnoticeable. The direction is on autopilot with no interesting shots being stuck in limbo and the film score is forgettable to the point the closing credits remind there was actually music in the film. Also, playing Beethoven 9th Symphony during heart surgery is not romantic. Diana is a terrible romance film that I refuse to consider biopic. A biopic should tell us, show us, or give insight on the person of interest gaining some level of understanding that person in a new way something this film does not do. Instead "Diana" chooses to do the opposite capitalizing on someone death exploiting people's feeling for the sake of cash.

If that wasn't the intention of the people involved in making this were it's the feeling they get across. Caesar Mendez Video: Diana, full film trailer released - Telegraph Cinema Trailers Diana, full film trailer released The first full trailer for Oliver Hirschbiegel's film Diana, which stars Naomi Watts as the late Princess of Wales, has been released. By James Lachno 12:00PM BST 07 Aug 2013 Watch the first full trailer for Diana, a forthcoming film about the last two years of the late Diana, Princess of Wales's life. The film, which stars British-Australian actress Naomi Watts in the title role, focuses on the romantic relationship between the Princess of Wales and a heart surgeon, Dr Hasnat Khan . According to its official synopsis, Diana will "introduce a time in the Princess’s life that was uniquely important in shaping her final years, fulfilling her search for true happiness and sealing her legacy". It was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, the man behind the Oscar-nominated Downfall (2004), which depicted the final 10 days of Adolf Hitler's life.

Watts, who has twice been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, last year replaced Jessica Chastain as the actress to play Diana. She said it would be an "honour to be able to play this iconic role." Related Content Diana Movie Review & Film Summary (2013) | Roger Ebert Tweet Even though he came to prominence in the United States with his infamous Michael Jackson documentary in 2003, Martin Bashir had already become a household name in Britain thanks to his 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales . It was a finely choreographed spectacle by the interviewer and the subject alike, and the initial reaction was how poorly this English Rose had been treated by those out-of-touch Royals. Once the hype wore off, it became evident that despite her efforts to present herself as a bird in a gilded cage, Diana was a more complicated woman: honest and manipulative; conniving and naïve; ruthless and vulnerable. So, you know, human. Advertisement Oliver Hirschbiegel's new biopic "Diana" is devoid of such subtleties, and presents the former Royal as some sort of martyr.

The tragedy that befell her doesn't require embellishing: the death of any mother-of-two at the age of 36 is horrible. Yet Hirschbiegel's film insinuates that Diana began dying years ago, when her celebrity, aristocracy, and regimented life prevented her from holding on to her one true love. Fictionalization is par for the course in films of this ilk, yet Diana's portrait of a lovelorn celebrity who just wants to "live a normal life" rings particularly peculiar. For viewers for whom the real-life Diana comes with heavy baggage, it will be impossible to sympathize with the grotesque caricature on screen; for those unfamiliar with the princess, the effect will be even worse. All of us have all loved and lost, but not all of us are members of the British upper class who gave birth to the future king of the United Kingdom and of the other Commonwealth realms. To her credit, Naomi Watts does a more-than-passable job of playing Diana. The Australian actress has mastered not just the character's polished cadences, but also her trademark faux-shy eyes that used to hide behind those well-curled eyelashes.

But the material she is given inhibits the actress from creating a fully-rounded human being. Stephen Jeffreys' script—based on the book "Diana: Her Last Love" by Kate Snell—is simply awful. The film depicts the final two years of Diana's life when the former Princess of Wales embarked on a relationship with the Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, who is played as a lumbering oaf by former "Lost" star Naveen Andrews . Alas, the two lovers find it increasingly difficult to keep their affair private under the scrutiny of the British press and public. Their eventual split is soon followed by Diana shacking up with Dodi Fayed ( Cas Anvar ) in an attempt to make her former lover jealous. So the whole thing's like Rachel and Ross's relationship in Friends, but less dramatic.

Advertisement It is not just the clunky and graceless dialogue that is the problem, and had the film descended into the depths of kitschy melodrama, I might have even enjoyed such choice lines as Khan's description of heart surgery: "You don't perform the operation, the operation performs you." Alas, he fails to riff on another clichéd advertising slogan: "Bedding Princesses: It's not just for Royals anymore!" No, the real problem is this strange non-reality that has been crafted of Diana's life. The film completely ignores Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, so we are presented with a one-sided view of the princess, whose worst sins are, in her own words, "acting like a mad bitch" every now and then. This sheer lack of insight hollows out a core that wasn't that dense to begin with. Despite the efforts of everyone involved to paint her as Our Lady of Broken Hearts, the Diana of the film comes across as someone totally obsessed with herself, and devoid of any concern for the bonds of human society. A greater institutional or historical context could have provided the film with much-needed perspective (the question of what Royals thought of Diana's affair with a Muslim man is ripe for drama).

As is, though, the film is merely obsessed with the cult of personality of "Diana, the Queen of Hearts." Of course, this has the opposite effect of cementing the Republican view of the British monarchy and aristocracy as greasy, grasping spivs who think that they are burdened with uniquely hard work and want to tell everyone about it. This narcissistic quality is the film's true undoing. Advertisement 'Diana' Trailer: Naomi Watts Is The People's Princess (VIDEO) | The Huffington Post 'Diana' Trailer: Naomi Watts Is The People's Princess (VIDEO) 06/12/2013 09:21 am ET | Updated Jun 12, 2013 100 The first teaser trailer for "Diana," the new film about the late Princess Diana and her relationship with Dr. Hasnat Kahn, has arrived online. Naomi Watts stars as the "people's princess" in the film, with "Lost" actor Naveen Andrews filling the role of Kahn. "It was a story that was going to be told, and I just felt like she was a fascinating woman," Watts said in an interview with ABC last year.

"It's delicate because her boys are still around, obviously. Very much so. But, like I said, it was going to be told. Maybe it was more recent than people [expected]." Watts initially bristled at the offer to play Princess Diana, but the material was too good to pass up. "I kind of wanted to say no but I couldn't," Watts said last year . It's expected that Watts will be in the thick of the Oscar race for her performance. Take a look at the "Diana" trailer above; the film is set for U.S. release sometime this year. WATCH: <br /> <A href="" target="_new" title="Diana - exclusive trailer">Video: Diana - exclusive trailer</A><br /> Related on HuffPost: Diana Trailer 2013 Naomi Watts - Princess Diana Movie - Official [HD] - YouTube Diana Trailer 2013 Naomi Watts - Princess Diana Movie - Official [HD] Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on Jun 12, 2013 Princess Diana Trailer 2013 - Official movie trailer in HD - starring Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews, Douglas Hodge, Juliet Stevenson - directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel - the last two years of Princess Diana's life: her campaign against land mines and her relationship with surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan. "Diana" movie hits theaters September 20, 2013. From the director of the Academy Award-nominated Downfall, Oliver Hirschbiegel and writer Stephen Jeffreys ("The Libertine") , the film stars two time Academy Award-nominee Naomi Watts ("The Impossible," "J. Edgar," "21 Grams," "Mulholland Drive") and Naveen Andrews ("LOST," "The English Patient"). Currently in post-production, the romantic story explores the last two years of beloved Princess Diana's life and her relationship with heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Khan. The film is produced by Ecosse Films' Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae. Diana trailer 2013 is presented in full HD 1080p high resolution.

DIANA 2013 Movie Starring: Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews, Douglas Hodge, Juliet Stevenson Diana official movie trailer courtesy eOne. Streaming Trailer is your daily dose of new movies. We bring you the best of official licensed movie trailers and movie clips. Category Naomi Watts Stars In ‘Diana’ - The New York Times The New York Times Movies |The Private Heartaches of a People’s Princess Search The Private Heartaches of a People’s Princess Naomi Watts Stars In ‘Diana’ Diana Continue reading the main story Photo Naomi Watts as the Princess of Wales, and Naveen Andrews as Dr. Hasnat Khan, in “Diana.” Credit Laurie Sparham/Entertainment One Films Naomi Watts is one of those performers who seemingly can do no wrong, even in a waxworks like “Diana.” A slice of biographical conjecture about the Princess of Wales , this movie isn’t especially good, but it wins you over a little just because it succeeds where truckloads of sanctifying reminiscences have failed: Anchored by Ms. Watts’s sympathetic performance, it humanizes the woman behind the smile, the helmet hair and the myth.

Part reheated gossip, part moony romance, it revisits an affair Diana had with a Pakistani heart surgeon, Hasnat Khan, a liaison she managed to keep from the ravenous media maw that she routinely fed and spectacularly failed to control. The first time you see Diana, she’s padding through the gilt rooms of a luxurious hotel suite, the low-moving camera nipping at her heels. For some reason, the director, Oliver Hirschbiegel, is obscuring Diana’s face, an attempt that quickly feels strained. He may be trying to emphasize the normalcy of the scene by keeping her under wraps. Yet, as Diana walks into a hall, pointedly turns toward the camera and then enters an elevator, where surveillance imagery carries a foreboding time stamp, Aug. 31, 1997, it seems increasingly evident that he’s trying to pump drama into a story that will soon end in off-screen tragedy. Such is the unevenness of his method: He nicely conveys an intimate restlessness, only to blow the mood with ominous tidings.

This pretty much describes all of “Diana,” which, like many movie biographies about doomed figures, struggles to find a balance between the historical (life as it was lived) and the histrionic (life as it has been consecrated). After its opening walkabout, the story shifts to two years earlier, when Diana and Prince Charles are already separated. Now ensconced in Kensington Palace in London, with a fairly modest retinue, she is struggling, very much alone, to find her place. (Her sons were often at boarding school.) She meets Hasnat (an appealing, low-key Naveen Andrews, paunched-up and deglammed) when she visits a friend in the hospital. All surgical work and next to no play, Hasnat scarcely gives her a second look, erotic catnip to a woman used to being the center of world attention. The story of Diana’s relationship with Mr. Khan has been told before, including in the touchingly restrained testimony he presented in 2004 during the inquest into her death.

The movie is based on Kate Snell’s 2000 account of the relationship in “Diana: Her Last Love,” which, like many such accounts, prematurely wreathes the affair in black bunting. Stephen Jeffrey’s script covers the arc of the relationship — its tentative beginning and predictable complications — which unfolded in private, even as Diana lived out loud. Better yet, the filmmakers make room for the little ordinary things that princesses do after they kick off their heels at the palace — like watching television or using a microwave — normalizing a woman who’s more often mummified than enshrined. It’s this ordinariness that pulls you into the movie, despite its longueurs, overexcited passages and insistent fatalism. Mr. Hirschbiegel recreates some of Diana’s headline moments, like her controversial visit to Angola to draw attention to land mines, but he does better when he follows her after the limo drives off and the smile fades. In scene after scene, he and Ms. Watts — whose face delicately expresses competing emotions, as despair turns to hope, and sincerity battles guile — make Diana’s crushing loneliness palpable, lived-in and real.

That loneliness fades after the affair starts, and Diana discovers and savors everyday pleasures, whether she’s driving Hasnat around or accompanying him to a jazz club, unrecognized under her dark wig. It’s like watching a newborn take its first breath. “Diana” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Discreet lovemaking and intimations of disaster.

Diana Writers Stephen Jeffreys, Kate Snell Stars Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews Rating PG-13 Diana (2013) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb Full Cast & Crew (inspired by the book 'Diana Her Last Love' by) Cast (in credits order) Create a character page for: Create » assistant production manager: Scope Pictures Second Unit Director or Assistant Director visual effects co-producer: Filmgate Films / visual effects producer: Filmgate Stunts stunt performer / stunt double: Naomi Watts (uncredited) Camera and Electrical Department local casting: South Africa (uncredited) Costume and Wardrobe Department a list of 39 titles created 25 Nov 2011 a list of 32 titles created 05 Apr 2014 a list of 22 titles created 21 Jan 2015 a list of 33 titles created 28 Nov 2015 a list of 25 images created 2 weeks ago IMDb Everywhere Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet!

Diana film review: 'Squirmingly embarrassing, atrocious and fabulously awful' | Daily Mail Online comments It enjoyed a glittering premiere in central London last night, but within hours critics had panned the controversial new film about Princess Diana. In a string of one-star reviews today the biopic has been called 'fabulously awful' and 'squirmingly embarrassing, atrocious and intrusive'. Another critic said the much-loved Princess of Wales 'has been recast as a sad-sack singleton that even Bridget Jones would cross the street to avoid'. Scroll down for trailer Familiar: Naomi Watts played Diana and looks similar to the Princess (right in 1996), but critics said the well-liked actress did her best with an 'embarrassing script' The film, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, charts Diana's romance with Dr Hasnat Khan, which ended shortly before her death alongside Dodi Fayed in a Paris car crash in 1997. Naomi Watts, who plays the title role of Diana, got a warm reception as she looked suitably regal in a floor-length white gown and diamonds while waving at fans.

RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share But the majority of the British press, aside from the Daily Express who called it a 'must see', branded her film a disaster. Plot: The film focuses on the last two years of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales before she died 16 years ago - but has been called 'atrocious' and 'fabulously awful' 'Dire': The Daily Mail's damning assessment of the Diana biopic in today's newspaper Says it all: The Independent said they were confused by the film and Naomi Watts 'doesn't really resemble the character she is playing, and the film shifts wildly in tone' Damning: Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw wrote 'poor Princess Diana' referring to an 'excruciatingly well-intentioned, reverential and sentimental biopic about her troubled final years' The Daily Mail's critic Christopher Tookey said it was 'dire' and 'Barbara Cartland meets Hollywood'. No good: The Sun panned the premiere for inviting a 'galaxy of Z-listers' and the film for being planin 'rubbish' 'It never succeeds in being moving, or even involving. It’s not even enjoyably bad,' he wrote today.

A review in The Times, which gave the film one star out of five, praised Watts for 'doing her level best with a squirmingly embarrassing script' but added that 'this film is still atrocious and intrusive'. It said the film 'bumps up romance and trivia at the expense of some serious comment about the Royal Family's control of her access to her sons, who hardly feature, and Diana's disturbed behaviour'. Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw wrote 'poor Princess Diana'. He continued: 'I hesitate to use the term 'car crash cinema'. But the awful truth is that, 16 years after that terrible day in 1997, she has died another awful death. 'This is due to an excruciatingly well-intentioned, reverential and sentimental biopic about her troubled final years, laced with bizarre cardboard dialogue - a tabloid fantasy of how famous and important people speak in private.' In his one-star review, Mirror critic David Edwards writes that it can 'only be described as a fabulously awful film'.

He said the much-loved Queen of Hearts 'has been recast as a sad-sack singleton that even Bridget Jones would cross the street to avoid' while adding that the film is 'a cheap and cheerless effort that looks like a Channel 5 midweek matinee'. Centre stage: Naomi poses in her stunning white dress on the red carpet in Central London - but the film got a much cooler reception It has been one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year and is finally set for release on September 20 - but the British press has warned not to expect much The film's 'many sudden shifts in mood' are frustrating, according to The Independent, which adds that it could have been stronger if it had not been 'lumbered with the baggage that the real Diana brings and had simply told a fictional story about a love affair between a princess and an outsider. That, though, would have defeated the purpose'.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY: MAJORITY OF FLEET STREET DAMNS 'DIANA' 'The bottom of the royal barrel has been scraped once too often' - Daily Mail '16 years after that terrible day in 1997, she has died another awful death' - The Guardian 'Wesley Snipes in a blonde wig would be more convincing' - Daily Mirror 'Squirmingly embarrassing, atrocious, intrusive: really, that's enough said' - The Times 'I don't think I need a ouija board to guess what the Princess of Wales might make of it' - The Sun 'Watts wears the clothes well, but the real Princess is always missing' - Daily Telegraph It goes on: 'However, Diana works well enough as a dark romantic drama and is far less exploitative than it might have been. Naomi Watts gives an intense and volatile performance as the princess. 'The problem, though, is that she doesn't really resemble the character she is playing, and the film shifts wildly in tone.' But there was some backing for the film. The Daily Express said it is 'a must see this autumn (which) will leave the audience in tears'.

While Royal Editor of the London Evening Standard, Robert Jobson, said: 'It is a very watchable film - and certainly not the turkey some had dismissed it as even before its release. 'Watts may not be the perfect carbon copy of the late Diana - but as a charming, impossible but ultimately tragic love story it works and I thoroughly recommend it'. Controversially last month the actress admitted she believes Princess Diana gave her ‘permission’ from beyond the grave to play her in the new film about her love life. ‘It felt like I was spending a lot of time with her. There was one particular moment when I felt her permission was granted. That won’t sound right in print, I know,’ she said at the time. Call from beyond: Naomi found herself asking for 'permission' to play Princess Diana in the new biopic Iconic: Naomi (left) wears replicas of many of Diana's best known outfits in the film, such as this dress from a tour of Australia in 1996 Barbara Cartland meets Hollywood in dire Diana tale: CHRISTOPHER TOOKEY gives his verdict on the controversial biopic The wig and prosthetic nose that helped transform her into Princess Diana were gone.

But Naomi Watts seemed to stay true to her royal character on the red carpet last night – by choosing a white dress rather similar to one of Diana’s own. Of course, the actress opted for a rather more risque version of the gown as she attended the premiere of the Diana film, showing off a split to the thigh and revealing keyhole neckline. But there was still no doubting its resemblance to a white lace dress worn by the Princess of Wales just a year before her death. Miss Watts, 44, completed her look with diamond chandelier earrings, a black clutch and black peep-toe stilettoes. She was joined at the London screening by Naveen Andrews, who plays her on-screen lover Dr Hasnat Khan. The film chronicles Diana’s two-year affair with the dashing heart surgeon – the man she called Mr Wonderful. Also posing on the red carpet were Douglas Hodge, who portrays Diana’s butler Paul Burrell, and Cas Anvar, who plays Dodi Fayed, the man with whom she died in a Paris car crash in 1997. Below, the Mail’s CHRISTOPHER TOOKEY gives his verdict on the already controversial biopic.

Naomi lacks the star quality of Diana, and her innate glamour The real-life, two-year affair between Princess Diana and heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, whom she called ‘Mr Wonderful’, broke down because he couldn’t stand the media intrusion. As a Pakistani Muslim, he probably didn’t fancy all those racist death threats he was getting, either. Not that they’re mentioned in this movie, which is interested in only one thing: a princess in love. Sixteen years after the break-up and Diana’s premature death, the media intrusion continues. I came out of the World Premiere of this Anglo-French-Croatian–Swedish-Belgian europudding feeling sorry for the pointedly absent Mr Khan, who has never courted publicity or tried to make money by telling his side of the love story. Diana the movie is not as tacky or sensationalist as one might fear. One of the producers, whom I know and like, is Douglas Rae, who made Mrs Brown. He steers it away from the crassness that has made various TV specials and mini-series about Diana so ridiculous.

The trouble is that in being so careful and eager not to offend, the film is a more than a little tedious, with a lightweight, romantic storyline that fails to surprise, let alone sustain a movie that lasts nearly two hours. It has the slightness of a Barbara Cartland novella, but the love affair is treated with ponderous solemnity, as though it were another Gone With The Wind. It’s slow and terribly, terribly dull. Naomi Watts is the sixth and easily the best actress to play Princess Diana. Every effort has been made to dress and make her up to look like Diana, but Watts is noticeably at least five inches too short, nowhere near as athletic in her build, and eight years too old. Most of all, Naomi lacks the star quality of Diana, her ability to look photogenic from every angle, her miraculous ability to wear clothes and make them look the best they ever could be. What she lacks, fatally, is glamour. Naveen Andrews resembles not so much Mr Khan, but Bollywood’s idea of what Khan should have looked like: a dishy doc and smouldering love god, not the overworked, paunchy medic Diana admired. It’s counter-productive, of course.

Changing him into the kind of guy you see in a Vogue fashion spread makes the affair less interesting, not more. Stephen Jeffreys’ script inadvertently turns the good doctor into a petulant, unsympathetic figure, unwilling to put love before career. He is much given to windy inanities such as ‘you don’t perform the operation, the operation performs you’. Frankly, he doesn’t seem all that bright. The film is based on Diana: Her Last Love, a 2001 book by Kate Snell. Mr Khan has dismissed the book as ‘based on gossip’ and full of inaccuracies. He also claims that Diana ended the relationship and not he, which is different from the way the break-up is depicted in the book and in this film. Paul Burrell, Diana’s oleaginous butler (played boringly straight in the movie by Douglas Hodge), confirms the doctor’s version. Naomi Watts as Diana and Naveen Andrews as Hasnat Khan. The film is based on Diana: Her Last Love, a 2001 book by Kate Snell.

Mr Khan has dismissed the book as 'based on gossip' and full of inaccuracies According to the film, Diana remained in love with Khan until her death, and her canoodling with Dodi Fayed (Cas Anvar) was designed to make Khan jealous. A touch of Diana’s own deviousness might have helped the screenplay. Everything is upfront and dramatic, with everyone saying exactly how they feel. The dialogue is not subtle, and tends towards the expository. ‘You’re the most famous woman in the world,’ says Diana’s lover, repeatedly. To which you half-expect Diana to reply icily ‘I am well aware of that’. It’s directed without panache, lightness of touch or the slightest aptitude for romance, by the German Oliver Hirschbiegel. Diana’s innate kindness, concern for the helpless and successful campaign for the outlawing of land mines does come through loud and clear. But even her friends have acknowledged that she could be self-centred, neurotically needy and manipulative. She could also be ruthless. The movie airbrushes those aspects of her out almost completely, which makes her seem less human, not more.

Even though the film is unquestioningly on her side, her crude attempts to manipulate the media and paparazzi become less and less attractive, and her leading on of Dodi Fayed to make the man she loves jealous makes her look not romantic, but cruel. Naveen Andrews resembles not so much Mr Khan, but Bollywood's idea of what Khan should have looked like: a dishy doc and smouldering love god, not the overworked, paunchy medic Diana admired I was left thinking that the only truly tragic element in the film was not her doomed romance with a heart surgeon, but her hubristic belief that she was clever enough to manipulate the media, a recklessness that resulted in her premature death. If the film had been about that, it might have been a lot more interesting. Royal-watchers will be disappointed at how little the royals figure in the movie. William and Harry barely appear at all, and the rest of the royal family is kept off-screen, even Prince Charles. By concentrating on her love life, the film makes her alienatingly distant from the children she also claimed to love. This film is conclusive evidence that the bottom of the royal barrel has been scraped once too often.

If you’re in the mood for schlocky romance, it just about passes the time; but it never succeeds in being moving, or even involving. It’s not even enjoyably bad. Personally, I would have found more entertainment in David Icke’s more outlandish claims about the royal family, which is that they are all 12ft lizard people masquerading in human form. Now that, I’d like to see dramatised.

Question: Who stars as Princess Diana in the 2013 film Diana?
Answer: Naomi Watts